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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25832650">Excavation</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperdream/pseuds/paperdream'>paperdream</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ink Does Banned Together Bingo 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bathing/Washing, Episode Related, Episode: e132 Entombed (The Magnus Archives), Gen, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist &amp; Alice "Daisy" Tonner Are Best Friends, Literal Sleeping Together, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Post-Episode: e132 Entombed (The Magnus Archives), Reunited and It Feels So Good, Self-Hatred, Touch-Starved Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, daisy's decided she n jon are friends but jon hasn't realized that yet, i love we all kinda decided the archives have a shower bc convenience, i will fill up the jon &amp; daisy tag singlehandedly if i have to i just luv them, jon just doesn't know yet, jon's bad self esteem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:27:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25832650</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperdream/pseuds/paperdream</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gertrude's, on the surface questionable, decision to force the old Head of the Institute to install a shower in the Archives sometime in the 1980s had never sounded better than right now, as Jon and Daisy trailed filth through the basement.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Basira Hussain &amp; Alice "Daisy" Tonner, Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist &amp; Alice "Daisy" Tonner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ink Does Banned Together Bingo 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009029</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>189</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Banned Together Bingo 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Excavation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Another fic that was supposed to be for my Magnus drabble collection but ended up way way way too long</p><p>Banned Together Bingo prompt: filthy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            Jon felt oddly bereft, when Daisy let go of his hand to almost literally fall into Basira's arms. His heartrate spiked with panic, unmoored from any other living thing. He rattled down a dusty breath and reminded himself that he wasn't really alone, they were out of the Buried, they were safe.</p><p>            He didn't notice anything they were saying to each other, or Basira calling for Melanie. He didn't notice anything but the lack of another warm hand in his until Melanie practically picked him up and pulled him after Basira, doing the same with Daisy, toward the shower. Gertrude's, on the surface questionable, decision to force the old Head of the Institute to install a shower in the Archives sometime in the 1980s had never sounded better than right now, as Jon and Daisy trailed filth through the basement.</p><p>            Basira and Melanie just hefted them into sitting leaned against each other before turning the spray on them, though Basira sat down just out of the range of the shower so she could tangle her legs with Daisy's while staying mostly dry. To Jon's surprise, as soon as he was back in range Daisy latched onto his hand once again.</p><p>            The warm water didn't last long, and by the time it turned cold enough to start bringing back unsettling memories of the coffin's freezing dirt there was still as much muck still on Jon and Daisy as there was sludging down the drain. Daisy blinked slowly- Jon was exhausted, which meant Daisy must feel even worse, having been down there so much longer- and muttered, "Clothes. W'need fresh clothes, 'sira."</p><p>            Basira's eyes widened a bit at the sound of her partner's voice, and she nodded. "Right. Only, mine won't fit. I could ask Melanie?"</p><p>            Jon raised his face from where it was pressed into Daisy's shoulder (when had that happened?) "There should still be some of Martin's clothes in Document Storage. Shouldn't be hard to spot. I doubt he'll mind, and they'll fit better than Melanie's until we can get Daisy something better. And I believe you know where I keep my spares, if you wouldn't mind, Basira?"</p><p>            She nodded, pulling herself up, clearly reluctant to leave Daisy so soon after getting her back but aware she was the only one capable of dealing with the situation- she'd had to that far too much, the past year, Jon reflected absently- and hurried off to fetch them each a change of clothing. Daisy'd left muddy bootprints on the back of her slacks, he noted absently.</p><p>            They stayed slumped and waiting, taking comfort from the coldness of the water in each other's warmth, for a long moment before Daisy shifted. "Shoes."</p><p>            He raised his head a bit to give her a baffled look. "Shoes," she repeated, "need to get 'em off. Don't think I can do it myself. I'll get yours if you get mine?"</p><p>            He nodded in understanding, helping her reposition so each had their feet in the other's lap. Daisy made quick work of his oxfords (his last pair of professional shoes. He'd have to decide if it was worth buying another pair, or if he could get away with wearing trainers in to work) but Jon was left staring blankly at her boots. The laces were caked in mud, and trying to pick at the knots only made them pull tighter around her feet. "I don't think I can untie these."</p><p>            Daisy grunted, shifting so her hand had access to her back pocket, and tossed him a pocket knife. It was a fair bit larger than any knife Jon felt comfortable with, but nevertheless he flicked the blade out and started sawing through the boot laces. The leather of the boots would protect Daisy's feet from the knife even if he slipped, he reassured himself.</p><p>            Even completely unlaced, the boots were tricky to get off. Daisy stared lackadaisically as he struggled, rolling his socks off as well and tossing them over her shoulder. He managed to wiggle the first free, revealing a sock that while still disconcertingly pale in contrast to the rest of Daisy was a long ways off from its original white, but pulling the second off he overestimated how much strength would be necessary. As the boot came free of her foot his arms jolted back with the excess force, and Jon kicked himself in the face with Daisy's boot and fell backward, ending up flat on the tile.</p><p>            When Basira returned, it was to the sight of Jon lying of the shower floor, eyes shut in frustration and uncaring of the filthy water swirling around his head, with a boot still clutched in his hands and Daisy bent double, huffing ragged laughs between wheezing breaths. Her eyes darted back and forth, taking in the scene, before visibly deciding not to ask.</p><p>            "I don't think you're getting any cleaner in this shower," she said instead, "and we ought to get Daisy to an A&amp;E, to make sure there isn't going to be any lasting damage."</p><p>            Daisy nodded, and Jon did his best to right himself. Basira turned the shower off and started to help Daisy out of her clothes and into the new ones- they were long past the point of worrying about modesty.</p><p>            She eyed the pair of them, soggy and still coated in a layer of muck, even if they were drastically cleaner than they'd started out. "I think I'm going to call for an ambulance. Don't think I could get you in a cab or on the tube looking like that. Say it was a workplace accident, something about the tunnels if they ask more questions." She went to heft Daisy up for the long journey up the stairs, leaving Jon cold and alone on the shower floor, unmoored again.</p><p>            "Jon should come too," Daisy said, nearly startling the man in question out of his skin.</p><p>            "What?" Basira asked.</p><p>            "Jon should come too. Get his lungs checked, at least." Jon started to shake his head, trying to come up with a way to explain his newfound healing, but Daisy saw. "And I want him to come. For company."</p><p>            Basira sighed, and looked at Jon. His heart jumped in his chest. He'd done everything he could, they didn't need him anymore, and Basira knew well enough that he'd shake off whatever damage may have been done to his lungs with his next statement, even if Daisy didn't. Maybe Daisy was just reluctant to let a monster like him out of her sight. Yes, that made sense. "All right," he said aloud, wavering to his feet.</p><p>            And so he sat next to Daisy as the paramedics arrived, wedged himself into a corner of the ambulance, trying unsuccessfully to avoid the medics' attention to avoid taking attention away from Daisy, who actually needed it, so that she could hang on to him with one hand and Basira in the other. He sat next to her in A&amp;E as they puzzled over her atrophied muscles and the particulate still lodged in her lungs- the story Daisy had decided to go with was "no story at all" which simplified some things but aggravated the hospital staff- and allowed them to subject him to a variety of diagnostics to show his lungs and muscles were both fine, despite clearly having gone through the same event that had damaged Daisy's. He even stayed next to her when they were finally sent home with a regimen of physio exercises, an appointment with a physical therapist, and advice to return immediately if they experienced any reduction in lung function.</p><p>            Back in the Archives, Daisy pulled him in to share her second shower- thankfully warm again- as well, and asked for help rubbing shampoo into her hair- she returned the favor- while Basira ran to get some of her own clothes from wherever they'd ended up while she was presumed dead. They ended the evening stacked into Jon's cot so he was practically on top of her- he'd offered to take the floor, but Daisy's grip just tightened- with Basira's pulled up close alongside so Daisy could hold her hand as well. Jon didn't remember the last time he'd had so much physical contact with another person, but if it made Daisy feel safer he was more than happy to allow it. It felt impressively unfair, to realize he could be a monster and still touch-starved. It wasn't taking advantage, to nestle is face in the crook of Daisy's neck and fall asleep to the rhythm of her breath, if she was the instigator.</p>
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